Chapter 205 Solve It Yourself

Chapter 205 Solve It Yourself

Ember's POV

Asher was wearing a brand new black suit, his shirt buttoned all the way up to the collar, his leather shoes polished to a shine. Dressed that formally, he looked like he was ready to walk down the aisle as a groom at any moment.

He saw me come out the front door in my wedding dress. He froze for a second, then looked down with a smile. "I thought I was going to have to crash a wedding today."

I walked down the steps and shoved the bouquet of lily of the valley into his arms. "You're disappointed?"

Asher looked down at the flowers, then back up at me. "Not really."

I let out a small laugh. "Ready to go home?"

"Which home?" he asked, looking at me.

"Our home," I said quietly.

On the way back, I sat in the backseat, exhausted. My head rested against the window, the cool glass easing the throbbing in my temples. The dress train was ridiculously long and took up half the backseat. I kicked off my heels, curled up barefoot on the seat, and closed my eyes, not wanting to talk. Asher drove in silence up front, glancing at me in the rearview mirror every now and then, but he didn't say anything either.

The car finally stopped outside my apartment building. I pushed the door open to get out, but Asher grabbed me and pulled me back.

"Wait," he said.

He shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders, then leaned in and lifted me into his arms, carrying me up the stairs. This time I didn't fight it. I just buried my face in his chest and stayed quiet.

Evelyn had been dropped off early by Penelope. The little girl was sitting on the living room floor, completely focused on building something with her blocks.

Asher set me down on the couch and went to the kitchen to get me a glass of warm water. I pulled Evelyn close and thanked him. I took a sip, then looked up at him. "How did you know it was him?"

"Traced the tip-off letter back to Chloe, then followed the trail from there." Asher leaned against the back of the couch and rubbed his temples, looking worn out. "Still don't know when those two started working together."

"What are you going to do about it?" I asked.

"Whatever needs to be done." A cold look flashed through his eyes. "But right now, the bigger priority isn't dealing with them. It's cleaning up the mess at Hart Group."

I pressed my lips together, set the glass down on the coffee table, and told him plainly, "I'll handle Hart Group myself."

"With what?" Asher frowned. "The funding gap isn't small. The bank loan still hasn't come through, the chip project is a total loss, and the shareholders are threatening to pull out. Ember, you need me right now."

"I don't need you." My voice was calm but firm. "I don't want to be the kind of woman who just waits around for someone else to come save her."

Asher opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but he let it go.

"Fine." He gave in, shifting closer to me on the couch and wrapping his arm around my shoulders. "You don't have to rely on me. But I have one condition."

I turned to look at him. "...What condition?"

"You're done with Zane. So does that mean I can get back in line?" He looked at me steadily.

I glanced at him. His expression was completely serious, but there was something careful and tentative in his eyes. I looked at him, and for some reason I felt like laughing.

So I said, "Go ahead and get in line. It's not like anyone's competing with you."

"No one competing with me?" Asher raised an eyebrow and brought up old history. "You said you were going to go find yourself a quiet younger guy."

"I was just venting," I said, a little exasperated.

"I don't believe you." He stared at me.

"Then don't." I turned away.

"Ember." He kept at it.

He called my name enough times that I finally gave up and pressed my hand over his mouth. "Can you please be quiet for one second?"

Asher caught my hand and pressed a soft kiss to my palm. My hand tingled. I instinctively tried to pull it back, but he wouldn't let go.

"You agreed," Asher said, his eyes fixed on mine. "No taking it back."

"...You're so childish," I said.

But even as the words left my mouth, the corner of my lips curved up on their own.

That night, Asher planted himself on the living room couch and refused to leave. First he said his leg hurt too much to walk, then he said he needed someone to help change his bandage.

I told him that wound was almost healed and he should stop faking it. He pulled up his pant leg to show me, and sure enough, the bandage had fresh bloodstains seeping through. I sighed, gave in, and crouched down to change the dressing for him. Asher looked down at me as I carefully wrapped his leg, and the corner of his mouth slowly lifted. Given that look on his face, it was pretty clear he'd torn the wound open on purpose just to make this happen.

When I stood up after finishing, Asher grabbed my wrist again. "Ember."

"What now?" I stopped.

"Nothing." He looked at me. "Just wanted to say your name."

I rolled my eyes without hesitation. "You're unbelievable."

I ignored him and turned to pick up my daughter. "Evelyn, want Mommy to give you a bath?"

Evelyn threw her arms around my neck happily. "Can we put in the rubber ducky?"

"Of course," I told her.

After I bathed her and dried her hair, I took her to bed with me. I had a pile of work waiting for me tomorrow and needed the sleep.

The next morning at breakfast, my parents called. They wanted to know what had happened at the wedding. I walked them through the whole thing from the beginning, explaining it as clearly as I could.

When I finished, both of my parents went quiet.

Laura sighed on the other end of the line. "We always thought you two knew each other so well. We figured being his mate would be a natural fit for you. We never imagined something like this could happen."

I said a few reassuring words to my mother, then added, "Mom, I'm planning to focus on work for the next few years."

After two bonds that had gone so badly, my parents weren't pushing me to find a new mate anymore. They just kept telling me not to overwork myself, to take care of my health, and to bring Evelyn home to visit more often. I promised them I would.

As for the funding gap at Hart Group, I ended up handling it on my own without asking anyone for help. I pushed to deliver two haute couture jewelry designs I'd taken on in Paris ahead of schedule and had the final payment wired directly into the company account. Then I sold a property I owned but wasn't using. But I knew it wasn't enough. Not even close.